# Rijiju claims Rahul Gandhi told Khera to target Himanta before Assam polls 2026-08-26T14:36:56+00:00 | Politics | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 2 independent outlets Union minister Kiren Rijiju has escalated his social media spat with Congress leader Pawan Khera, claiming Rahul Gandhi asked Khera to make false allegations against Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma and his wife before the 2021 state assembly elections. Rijiju said two senior Congress members told him this. NDTV reports Rijiju also accused Khera of receiving a Rajya Sabha seat as a "prize" for making those allegations, which Khera "doesn't deserve." The row began after Rijiju posted a video of himself swimming in Arunachal Pradesh, prompting comments from Khera. The Hindustan Times adds that in April this year, Khera alleged Sarma's wife Riniki Bhuyan Sharma held foreign passports and undisclosed luxury properties. A defamation FIR was filed against Khera, and the Ministry of External Affairs called his claims "fake and fabricated." Khera is a first-term Rajya Sabha MP. ## Indian Opinion Analysis NDTV frames the story as a personal spat, leading with Rijiju's 'Rajya Sabha prize' jibe and omitting the original allegations that triggered the defamation case. Hindustan Times gives fuller context by reporting Khera's claims about Sarma's wife and the subsequent FIR. The two accounts together show the government side foregrounding loyalty penalties, while the wider record suggests the allegations against Sarma's wife were independently investigated and dismissed. The defamation case against Khera remains active. ## Coverage Coverage: 2 sources, 1 pro-government, 1 neutral - ndtv.com (pro government) Leads with Rijiju's personal dig at Khera and repeats the 'prize' framing without counterpoint - hindustantimes.com (neutral report) Presents Rijiju's allegations alongside the original Khera-Sarma row and FIR details in chronological order This brief was synthesised by AI from the 2 sources linked above, so one read covers every framing they carry. Updated: this story now draws on 2 sources. Last updated 2026-08-26T14:46:32+00:00. Tags: BJP, Himanta Biswa Sarma, Kiren Rijiju, Pawan Khera, Rahul Gandhi, Rajya Sabha Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/kiren-rijiju-hits-out-at-pawan-khera-in-swimming-video-row/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/kiren-rijiju-hits-out-at-pawan-khera-in-swimming-video-row/#story-in-brief How this brief was made: an AI model read the reports linked above and wrote this summary and analysis, which were published automatically. Published briefs are sampled every hour by an automated quality check; the editor verifies its findings and approves corrections, and corrected briefs carry a dated correction line. Stance labels are editorial classifications of how each outlet framed this story, assigned by the same model, not ratings of the outlets. We do no original reporting. Methodology: https://indianopinion.org/ai-use-policy/